Adjustable folding chair



Dec. 20, 1955 F. c. COOK 2,727,563 ADJUSTABLE FOLDING CHAIR Filed Jan. 28, 1953 '2 Sheets-Sheet l nu v 1 INVENTOR FREDERICK C. COOK ZPWO Dec. 20, 1955 c, coo 2,727,563

ADJUSTABLE FOLDING CHAIR Filed Jan. 28, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR FREDERICK C. COOK ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,727,563 ADJUSTABLE FOLDING CHAIR Frederick C. Cook, Baltimore, Md. Application January 28, 1953, Serial No. 333,774 4 Claims. (Cl. 155-143) The present invention able and folding chair.

One object of the invention is to provide such a chair that will have the appearance of one rigidly constructed and without having the customary construction and devices which usually identify chairs of this kind.

A further object of the invention is to construct such a chair with a minimum number of working parts.

Another object of the invention is to construct a frame for such a chair so that the principal members may be made entirely of fiat stock materials.

A still further object of the invention is to construct a folding chair that may be used as a normal straight back chair, or as a reclining chair.

While several objects of the invention have been pointed out, other objects, uses and advantages will become more apparent as the nature of the invention is more fully disclosed. The novel structure, uses and advantages of the invention are shown and described in the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof and the detailed description, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the chair in one of its adjusted positions.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2, but with the chair in itsother adjusted position.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the parts shown in Figure 4.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the chair as shown is generally composed of two unitary sections, a back section and a seat section. The back section is made up of the side members 1 and 2, a cross brace 3 and aback rest 4 rigidly connecting the side members together. The other or seat section is made up of two side members relates to a combination adjust- 5 and 6 and a seat member 7 likewise rigidly connecting i the side members together. Means are carried by both sections for hingedly connecting the two sections and for allowing for the adjustment of the two sections to at least two positions for the seat and back rest and for permitting the two sections to be folded when the chair is not in use.

The side members 1 and 2 are shown as being constructed of a solid piece of material of uniform thickness and in the form of a flat triangle, the apex 8 of the triangle being toward the back of the chair and the longer side of the triangle facing the front of the chair. Extending between the upper ends of the side members 1 and 2 are supporting members 9 and 10, and supported upon these members is the back rest 4 which also extends along the inner surfaces of the two side members between members 9 and 10. The lower ends of the side members 1 and 2 form the front legs of the chair.

The corresponding seat section is constructed in a similar manner. This section is provided with side members 5 and 6 which are of a modified flat triangular form in which the apex 11 is of a lesser degree angle than that of the apex 8 of the back a and the cross braces in any suitable section, the side of the triangle opposite the apex 11 being in two lines extending slightly inwardly from the ends of the members at a point opposite the apex. Extending between the side members are support members 12 and 13 for supporting the seat and for bracing the side members. The rear portions of the side members 5 and 6 form the rear legs for the chair.

Located upwardly and rearwardly of the supporting brace 3 are the means for hingedly connecting the two sections and for allowing for the adjustment and folding of the chair. This means comprises arcuate grooves 14 and 15 carried by the side members 1 and 2 respectively on their inner side surfaces and in the broad part are of uniform depth and width and they end abruptly to form a pair of shoulder stops 16 and 17 on the side member 1 and a pair of similar shoulder stops l8 and 19 on the side member 2.

Secured to the side members 5 and 6 and extending outwardly from their portions are arbors, or pins 20 to slidably engage the grooves to its normal upright position as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and to engage stops 17 and 19 when it is desired to lower the seat and recline the back rest, as shown in Figure 3.

The side members a solid material of uniform thickness having the grooves 14 and 15 milled into the side members, but they may suitable material After the back fixedly secured in position. With this arrangement the side members of the two sections may be kept out of direct contact with each other although they are relatively close together, but the pins may be so placed to control the side movement of the seat section.

The chair may be adjusted to two positions, one position shown best in Figure 1 and referred to as the normal or upright position, and the other position as shown in Figure 3 which may be referred to as the reclining position. In the normal position of the chair, the seat is higher and the back is more perpendicular to the plane of the seat. In the reclining position, as shown in Figure 3, the seat is lower and the back is more reclined to form a greater angle with the plane of the seat.

In use, if it is desired to adjust the chair to the normal position, the pins are placed against the shoulder stops 16 and 18 and the under edges of the seat side members are lowered in contact with the the position of the chair to the reclining position, as shown in Figure 3, the seat is slightly raised to allow the pins to drop down and follow the grooves, or channels, 14 and 15 to the shoulder stops 17' and 19,. When the seat is depressed, the pins will engage the stops 17 and 19 and the lower edges of the side members 5 and 6 will, come to rest on the member 3. In this position the seat will be lower and the back will be more reclined, as shown by the dot and, dash lines in Figure 1 and Figure 3.

With this construction the only moving parts are the pins 21 and 2 2 which move along the channels, or grooves, 14 and 15, when the chair is being adjusted from oneposition to another and in folding.

The chair is best folded by moving the hinge pins 21 and 22- along the grooves 14 and 15 to the position for the normal set-up position of the chair, or until the pins are in the vicinity of the shoulder stops 16 and 18 after which the seat is raised upwardly until it is in contact with the back rest. In this position the two side members of the back section will be in nearly aligned relationship with the two side members of the seat section.

While a specific form of the invention has been shown and described, it is only for illustrating the principle upon which the chair is constructed and is not to be considered as a limitation.

What is claimed as new and is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A folding adjustable chair having a pair of rigidly formed unitary connected sections, one of the sections comprising a pair of triangularly shaped side supporting members having its apex extending toward the rear of the chair, the upper ends of the side members having a back rest supported therebetween and the lower end of the side members extending downwardly and forwardly to form the front legs of the chair, the other section comprising a pair of similarly formed triangle side members having a smaller angle at the apex of the triangle than the first mentioned side members, the upper ends of which have a seat therebetween in a substantially horizontal position, the opposite ends of the said side members extending downwardly and baekwardly to form the back legs of the chair, the said section carrying the seat and back legs being narrower than the section carrying the back and front legs and being adapted to be readily slidable between the side members of the said other section, a brace carried by the side members of the section supporting the back rest for engaging the under edges of the side members supporting the seat, the said back section having an arcuate groove on the inner side of the side members and shoulder stops at each end thereof, pins extending outwardly from the outer surface of the side members of the seat section, adapted to slidably engage the said. groove, the groove being located slightly upwardly and rearwardly of the said seat supporting brace whereby the pins may be fixedly secured at either of the ends of the upper ends of the two said grooves when the side members of the seat section are in contact with the said brace, to fixedly support the chair with the pins in either end of the grooves.

2. An adjustable chair formed of two connected sections, one of the sections comprising a pair of side supporting members, the lower ends of which extend downwardly to form the front legs of the chair and the upper ends having a back rest solely supported between the side members, the other section comprising a pair of side members the lower ends of which extend downwardly to form the back legs of the chair and the upper ends extending outwardly and forwardly to form an obtuse angle with the rear portion of the legs and having a seat supported thereon, one of the said sections being slightly narrower than the other section, the side members of which are adapted to be positioned between and adjacent the side members of the said, other section, the side members of one section having correspondingly located slots therein intermediate the ends thereof, pins in the side members of the other section intermediate the ends thereof and fitting in said slots, two pin holding shoulder stops correspondingly located in each slot and spaced vertically and horizontally from each other when the chair is opened for use, a fixed brace on one of said sections coacting with the other section to cooperate with the stops and pins to fixedly brace the sections with respect to each other when opened for use, said sections pivoting about said pins when opened for use and when the pins are held by one pair of stops, the back reclining and the seat being low, and when the pins are held by the other pair of stops the back being upright and the seat high, both relative to the first adjusted position of the sections, the seat remaining substantially hori- Zontal in both positions of adjustment.

3. A chair structure as defined in claim 2 in which said slots are arcuate shaped and the stops are the ends of the slots.

4. A chair structure as defined in claim 2 in which the slots are arcuate shaped and are bent sharply upon themselves adjacent one end to lock the pins from readily sliding around the bent portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

